PocketWatch Games "Very Disappointed" In Monaco XBLA Sales

"We Put A Ton Of Effort Into Porting The Game"

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is one of our favourite games of 2013 thus far, but the developers have seen little return from the Xbox Live Arcade version. However, they're pleased that Microsoft's decision to relax re-certification fees has let them patch the game with little hassle.

“I was never depending on the Xbox being our primary revenue generator, but I was very disappointed in Xbox sales nonetheless,” Pocketwatch Games' Andy Schatz wrote on Reddit. “We put a ton of effort porting the game, and to have that effort be largely wasted was really disappointing.”

Schatz blames a poor demo and eleventh-hour delay for the low sales, but interestingly has nothing bad to say about Microsoft - who often bear the brunt of indie ire in situations like this. “We had to submit two patches," he explained, "and luckily [Microsoft] had already relaxed the charges for that process about a month prior." Apparently Majesco played middle man and "buffer" during the process.

@stevenjameshyde: You're right, of course. Only the biggest games retain their multiplayer communities on Xbox Live - not just XBLA titles, but even bigger boxed games. It's rare to see a multiplayer community thrive for more than a handful of weeks in all but the biggest-hyped, rarest and most deserving cases.

However, XBLA is still a perfect platform for local couch multiplayer - something Monaco offers for 4 players on a single screen. TBH I much prefer playing with people I know, and can high five/give a dead arm to if absolutely necessary.